Matisyahu's Blog

I thought it would be best to write a follow up to a toot/post I made over on Mastodon to expand upon the point I was making – the benefit of microblogging is that it is easy to get ideas out into the ether of the internet but many times they’re terse and lacking the nuances of a proper blog post. Just to prefix this, I’m under no illusion that voting within the current system will bring about major systemic change but instead I view voting as a way of reducing harm by advocating for change within the system.

The purpose of pushing for policies that reduce harm such as a higher minimum wage, protection of unions and union organising, single payer healthcare, industrial relations framework that ensure there is mandated sick leave, annual leave etc. provides space for the working class to build institutions and movements that can and will be used to challenge the power structure in the long term.

I have to admit the above post (in the screenshot) may come off as a little abrasive but ‘the vote’ is the only impactful tool that exists and sitting on the side lines believing your lack of participation is going to ‘stick it to the man’ and punish the party that isn’t perfect but you have the most in common with will only result in that party gradually shifting to the right because the left aren’t turning out to vote aka party migrate to where the voters are. Voting isn’t about voting for the perfect but voting for who you have the most in common with then joining up, getting friends and family to join then making your voice heard when there are party meetings.

For me, are the Labour Party in New Zealand everything I hoped and dreamed for? no it isn’t but is it who I have the most in common with? yes it is so in the end I joined up and became a member because for all the faults the Labour have it is the one that has the most going for it in regards to the two majority political parties. I could sit on the sidelines playing the holier than thou routine believing that because I don’t participate I’m somehow above all the plebs, floating high off the ground supported my own sense of self righteousness but what would it achieve? well, the powers that be will be happy that I’ve given up on the system or as as this Paul Weyrich, architect of the Republican electoral strategy, put it:

The only thing you are doing, when you don’t turn out, is to give people like Paul Weyrich exactly what they want – whether you don’t turn up because you don’t feel ‘inspired’ or because the party isn’t 100%, you’re giving people like him power, is that what you really want to do? look to the US where people didn’t ‘feel inspired’ or the candidate wasn’t perfect, you’re now feeling the consequences in the form of a generational swing to the conservatives on the supreme court for starters where settled law has been thrown out in favour of those who wish to use the supreme court to fight ‘culture wars’. Just look at the most recent case regarding affirmative action – if you think that these lawsuits stop at universities then you’re sorely mistaken (link). Most recent example were 1.5 million people who didn’t turn out to vote in the 2022 election in Florida which resulted in Ron DeSantis winning a second term. Elections have consequences and by not turning out to vote you aren’t ‘sending a message’ because the only person being hurt is yourself.